JUPITER, Fla. — Terry Collins has plenty of “second” opinions, but still no answer about Daniel Murphy’s potential replacement heading into the season.
As it stands, the Mets manager is considering Ruben Tejada, Matt Reynolds and Danny Muno for starting duty at second base should Murphy open the season on the disabled list. The answer may not come until Sunday, when the 25-man roster is due.
Murphy continues to take at-bats in minor league exhibition games, but Collins almost seems resigned to the fact a DL stint will be needed for the veteran second baseman, who is recovering from a pulled right hamstring.
The implications are biggest for the rookies Reynolds and Muno, either of whom likely would be added to the major league roster if Murphy isn’t ready for the April 6 opener in Washington. Even if Tejada is made the starter, the Mets probably would want one of the rookies as a spare middle infielder.
Collins isn’t conceding that Murphy — who can have his DL stint backdated because he isn’t playing in the Grapefruit League — may only miss a few games to start the season.
“I wish I could say that is the only time we’re going to miss him, but I really can’t say that,” Collins said Sunday after the Mets beat the Cardinals 3-2 at Roger Dean Stadium. “What we’ve got to do is give ourselves the best options of, ‘How are we going to get out of the gate and be the most successful, and the guy who is going to play second and who is going to be behind him?’
“Those are the things we have to consider, and we’re trying to give everybody a fair shake over there, to see what we’ve got and to see what our best lineup is going to be, and that includes our bench.”
Reynolds started at second base on Sunday and finished 1-for-4. He is batting .381 in 42 at-bats this spring, with two homers and seven RBIs.
Because Reynolds’ experience in the minors has come primarily at shortstop, there isn’t much concern about him making the transition to second base.
For Reynolds, getting this far in spring training has been a victory of sorts after arriving to camp behind Wilmer Flores and Tejada on the depth chart at shortstop.
“I honestly didn’t think I really had a shot at making the team,” Reynolds said. “But my mindset was just coming in here and showing them what I could do, and things would play themselves out. I didn’t expect things to happen with injuries with Murphy and everything. I hate to see it happen, but at the same time it’s an opportunity.”
Muno will start at second base in Monday’s exhibition game, against the Marlins, for further evaluation, according to Collins. The switch-hitting Muno is batting .381 in 42 at-bats this spring, with a homer and five RBIs.
Last season, Muno was a utility player at Triple-A Las Vegas and batted .259 with 14 homers in 62 RBIs.
“They have seen me succeed my first year in Brooklyn, so just show them that I’m still the player I am,” said Muno, who hit .355 at Single-A Brooklyn in 2011.
Collins said a case can be made for Reynolds, Muno or Tejada getting the starting job.
“[Reynolds] is an athletic guy,” Collins said. “He’s a baseball player. Everybody keeps saying that about him, but that’s what he is. He handles the bat, he runs the bases, he does a lot of little things right.
“But Danny Muno is a dangerous bat — he can get a hit — and the other kid, Ruben, has played there.
“He’s played there under the bright lights and been very successful, so we’ve got a lot of options.”